Malcolm X and building a Black Tammany Hall

Louis Proyect lnp3 at panix.com
Mon Jan 4 11:37:05 PST 1999



>By Any Means Necessary might mean using the bullet in self-defense but it
>also meant for Malcolm full pragmatic engagement in the political process,
>without all the purity nonsense Louis promotes in what passes for his
>political strategy.
>
>--Nathan Newman

Malcolm X never campaigned for Democrats, black or white. The Basic Unity Program of the Organization of Afro-American Unity has not one single word about electoral politics, let alone supporting Democrats. This Unity program represents Malcolm's most mature political thinking. As far as a "Black Tammany Hall" is concerned, this is a rhetorical flourish. What did Malcolm X really think about getting black politicians elected or appointed? In light of Malcolm's comments on the LBJ administration in 1964, not very much. "They get all the Negro vote, and after they get it, the Negro gets nothing in return. All they did when they got to Washington was give a few big Negroes big jobs. Those big Negroes didn't need big jobs, they already had jobs. That's camouflage, that's trickery, window-dressing. I'm not trying to knock out the Democrats for the Republicans, we'll get to them in a minute. but is is true--you put the Democrats first and the Democrats put you last." Sounds like the Clinton adminstration, doesn't it? With all his black appointments, from Ron Brown to Mike Espy, nothing changed for the black masses. That's why Malcolm X's hatred for the two-party system remains relevant.

Louis Proyect

(http://www.panix.com/~lnp3/marxism.html)



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